Actions Have Consequences
by B of Ericaland
Summary: swan queen. just a quick idea i had. was supposed to be a one-shot. but is that ever the case with me?
1. I Should Tell You

DISCLAIMER:: yep, don't own these characters

A/N:: new story. just an idea i had. crushin' on this ship hard, like wicked hard and i'm so glad they're gaining momentum. i've stumbled across quite a few stories lately in the swan queen stratosphere that are brilliant. anyways... enjoy and review. only planning for this to be like 5-7 chapters, so a short one for me. this is what happens when you're bed ridden and have nothing to do all day except write and shop online for shoes...

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It was raining. Somehow that seemed appropriate, as if the sky were crying for him. She stared at the beautiful mahogany casket. It was one of the most expensive offered at the funeral home, but the town had spared nothing; Regina had seen to that. Graham may have had no blood relatives to speak of, but the residents of Storybrooke, herself included, were his family. Everyone had come out, a procession of pure black, with one exception, herself. She wore a black dress, as befitted the occasion, but she also wore her red leather jacket, not to ward off the chill, but because Graham had liked it.

Regina was there, standing before the coffin and the open grave it would reside in as if he was still her possession. It made Emma angry. How dare the mayor think he was something to own? People were not possessions. And yet Graham had always been hers… until last week. For the first time in twenty eight years, Graham hadn't been Regina's, but Emma's.

Henry's hand was firmly caught in Regina's grasp. She believed she owned him too. For today, at least, the little ten year old let her. He didn't object. He stayed firmly nuzzled into her side, under the protection of her umbrella, and only stole the occasional glance at Emma.

Mary Margaret stood beside her, holding their own protection against the rain. Tears were streaking down her cheeks. Sweet Mary Margaret, she felt everything so deeply. But looking around to the rest of the town, she realized they all felt this loss. Everyone of them. Including herself.

She felt eyes on her and her gaze slid back across the crowd until they met brown. There was something in Regina's gaze that called out for her and it sent a shiver down her spine. This was not the normal Regina glare she was used to. There was something else in the intense swirl of her irises, something that reminded Emma of… well disguised desperation, of longing. But for what? Emma couldn't bring Graham back. She was supposedly here to break a curse, not reanimate the dead. And then, Regina's gaze left hers suddenly, slipping away without a warning, leaving Emma feeling slightly empty.

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"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret looked concerned as the newly crowned sheriff of Storybrooke walked in the front door of their apartment, her expression sour.

Emma said nothing, just held up a finger, indicating the teacher should give her a moment. She trudged up the stairs, walked into her room, silently shut the door, fell face first onto her bed, and let out the loudest scream imaginable. Well, at least it would have been the loudest scream imaginable, were it not muffled by her face pressed firmly into the mattress. Then, she got up, smoothed her hair away from her face, walked back out of her room and down the stairs, and sat down at the kitchen island.

Mary Margaret's eyebrows were raised. She had easily heard the scream coming from the second floor of their apartment. There was only so much a mattress and a few walls could muffle after all. She reached for the pot of tea she'd just made but Emma shook her head. Mary Margaret pointed wordlessly towards the coffeepot they had purchased after Emma moved in. The teacher wasn't exactly fond of the stuff herself, but Emma inhaled it like it was going out of style. Again, Emma shook her head. She couldn't keep anything down even if she tried.

"Was it Regina? Is she bothering you again?" The bruise Emma had sported at the funeral had since faded, but Mary Margaret still felt her blood boil at the audacity of the mayor, someone who was supposed to be dignified, assaulting another woman over a few harsh words.

Emma shook her head and then stared at the hard surface of the counter as if it were telling her something interesting. Suddenly, she was banging her head on it. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." She punctuated each stupid with another bang.

"Emma stop!" Mary Margaret came around the counter and grabbed Emma's head to prevent her from giving herself a headache, or worse. Tears sprang into Emma's eyes and she half turned in her seat so that she could bury her head against Mary Margaret's abdomen.

"What's wrong?"

Emma looked up into her eyes, tears flooding down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant." She pushed past Mary Margaret and flopped down on the couch.

"Do you want to… you know?" Mary Margaret looked slightly uncomfortable. "I'll support you no matter what. You know that right?"

Emma smiled. "Relax, I'm not going to abort the baby."

Mary Margaret breathed a sigh of relief and fell onto the couch beside her. "Oh thank goodness. I was trying to be the supportive best friend, but…"

Emma nodded. "I know. I'd hate myself too."

"Have you thought about how to tell Regina?"

Emma choked. "Excuse me?"

Mary Margaret gave an apologetic shrug. "She was Graham's girlfriend, sort of. Don't you think she'd want to know that her arch nemesis is carrying his child?"

Emma nodded. "Yes, she would want to know. She always wants her claws in everything. But I want this for me… at least for a little while longer."

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"More bananas?" Mary Margaret eyed the grocery bag in Emma's arms warily. "What'd you buy them out?"

Emma shrugged sheepishly and nodded. "It's the only thing that seems to help with the nausea. This baby does not like anything greasy or, you know, _good_." She removed the bananas from the bag. "It's going to be a vegetarian; I just know it." She'd been unable to stomach anything but bananas, oranges, black beans, crackers, rice, and blueberries. Compared to her usual diet of burgers, fries, and anything else that could cause a heart attack later in life, it was quite the change and her mood had taken a serious dive right along with her appetite. Junior was only 6 weeks and already wreaking havoc on her life.

She cleared her throat as she put the black beans and rice in the cupboard. "I ran into Regina at the grocery store."

"And, how'd she take the news?"

"She didn't." Emma looked at Mary Margaret guiltily. "I was going to tell her but she wanted bananas and I wasn't about to let her have any and it led to an argument."

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You do realize it will most likely always lead to an argument with Regina. You guys are kinda infamous for it."

Emma frowned. "I know."

Mary Margaret sighed and patted Emma's shoulder in comfort. "It's only gonna get harder."

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"Have you thought about what you're going to do for maternity leave?" Mary Margaret placed the plate of cut up fruit in front of her.

"Sheriffs have babies too." Emma looked up defensively, her fork stabbing a chunk of cantaloupe and popping it into her mouth.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. When are you planning on taking it? You have to tell Regina enough weeks before so she has time to find a temporary replacement."

Emma sighed. "I think it'll be visibly apparent long before that point, but I know. I'll tell Regina soon. I just have to think about the best way to break the news."

"Is there ever a best way with Regina?"

"Good point."

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"Miss Swan…"

Emma cringed and looked back over her shoulder. Regina was approaching. She felt the fight or flight response taking over and she wished she could choose flight, but that wasn't an option with Regina. You had to stay and fight or else she'd crush you like a bug. "Madame Mayor."

"Are you ill Miss Swan?"

Emma's brow furrowed. "No. Why?"

"Because, you haven't been at Granny's for several weeks and my son claims you've been avoiding him."

Emma frowned. Did Regina just admit that she'd recognized her absence? What did that even mean? As for Henry, she was guilty on that front. She didn't know how to tell him that she was going to be someone else's mother too. Kids usually freaked out about that… the whole 'mommy won't have time for me anymore' complex.

"Miss Swan?"

The sharp tone shook her out of her reverie. She focused back on Regina. "No, I've just been… dealing with the remnants of Graham. It's been… uh, harder than I expected."

Regina's whole demeanor softened. "Yes, well…" But there was no quick comeback on her lips this time. Regina Mills had nothing to say.

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She paced back and forth on the small stoop. Regina was inside. Her Mercedes in the drive was proof of that, and her secretary said she was working from home today. Emma raised her hand to knock and dropped it before she made a fool of herself. She stepped off the stoop and went back up the walkway towards the parked car with Sheriff across the side. She stopped just short of getting in the car and trudged back up the walkway, steeling her resolve. She had to do this. Regina would figure out eventually anyway and the longer she kept it from her, the more pissed off she'd be when she finally found out. She was already almost out of her first trimester; she couldn't put this off any longer. She knocked and the door opened immediately.

"Took you long enough Miss Swan."

"I need to talk to you." Emma didn't wait to be invited in. She pushed past Regina and through the foyer, walking up the stairs, leaving Regina to follow angrily after her.

"I hope you have a good reason for interrupting me Miss Swan, especially on the clock." Regina closed the door to the office.

"Graham and I slept together. It was only once, but I thought you should know."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what this has to do with me Miss Swan." The fury in her eyes betrayed her though.

Emma bit her bottom lip. "I'm pregnant."

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A/N:: what did everyone think? how is regina going to take the news? bad or good? what about henry? more to come.


	2. Paperweight Of Mass Destruction

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: thanks for the reviews. i'm glad everyone seems to like this piece so far. it really was a random idea and i'm playing it by ear, writing as i go, so i can't promise as to the frequency of updates. but i'm keeping at it. chapter 3 is almost done.

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"I wish you'd tell me what happened between you and Regina."

Emma frowned. "There's nothing to tell. I told her. She threw a paperweight through a wall. End of story."

"She threw a paperweight through a wall?"

Emma nodded. "I think she was imagining my face there."

Mary Margaret tried to look reassuring, but she just ended up looking apologetic. "I'm sure she was just… surprised."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, so was the wall."

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Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow at Emma as she trudged down the stairs. "Three months and not even the least bit of a bump."

Emma frowned down at her lack of stomach. "It's all that fruit. If the kid would let me eat a burger every once in a while, then maybe I'd have something to show for it." She sat down at the counter and rested her head on her arms.

A knock sounded at the door. Mary Margaret walked over and opened it. Regina stood on the other side, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Mayor Mills."

Regina ignored Mary Margaret's greeting and looked at Emma's back. "Can I speak with you?" She glanced at the teacher. "Privately?"

Mary Margaret frowned and looked meaningfully at Emma once the blonde turned around. Emma nodded subtly and the teacher cleared her throat. "I should really be off to work anyway." She grabbed her purse and opened the door. "Have a good day Mayor Mills. I'll see you later Emma."

Emma waved.

Regina stood rigid until she heard the click of the door closing. Then her posture softened.

"Did you come here to take out our wall too?"

Regina bit her bottom lip. She shook her head slowly, setting down her keys and her purse on the arm of the couch. She pulled off her blazer and draped it there as well.

Emma watched it all with a furrowed brow.

Regina walked slowly over to her. "I'm sorry, for my reaction."

Emma stood up to meet her, not wanting to have Regina look down on her. "It was a little… _excessive_, don't you think? What'd that paperweight ever do to you? Or the wall for that matter?" She sighed. "Listen, what happened with Graham wasn't intentional. I know he was your boyfriend. What I did was wrong and I am sorry. I just wanted to tell you because I want Henry to be a part of this baby's life."

Regina was close, bordering on being in her personal space. She was silent, a first for Regina. Ever so slowly she reached out, her hand coming to rest across Emma's abdomen. A smile lit up her face. "Miss Swan…"

Emma had never heard her voice shake so much.

"Will you have dinner with me tonight Miss Swan?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Regina looked at Emma, an undeniable vulnerability in her eyes. "I have a proposition I would like to put by you."

Emma nodded, transfixed by the softness she'd seen only once before in Regina's gaze, that day at Graham's funeral. "Sure. Granny's?"

Regina shook her head, her hand reluctantly slipping from Emma's flat stomach. "I'd like to cook for you Miss Swan."

Emma looked down at her stomach, which suddenly felt cold in the absence of the mayor's hand. "Okay, but I must warn you. This little baby is a fickle one. It's been extremely picky."

Regina smiled. "I don't think we'll have a problem tonight."

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"Are you sure you're okay with watching Henry tonight?" Emma looked at Mary Margaret over their lunch.

Mary Margaret smiled. "I'll be fine. Are you sure you're going to be okay? You and Regina aren't exactly known for how well you get along."

Emma frowned. "It's just a business proposition. Probably just another ploy to get me out of the Sheriff's Department. I'll be fine. Regina may be cold, but I highly doubt she's going to do anything to a pregnant woman."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Still... before you sit down to dinner you may want to search for and destroy all paperweights."

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"Miss Swan." Regina's smile was big as she opened the door.

Emma stepped inside and was surprised when Regina pulled off her jacket and hung it on a hanger in the coat closet.

Emma watched all this with a fascination.

Regina turned back to her. "I would normally offer you a drink, but under the current circumstances, that would be inappropriate. I do, however, have non-alcoholic cider that you might find enjoyable."

Emma nodded. "Sounds wonderful, thanks."

She followed Regina into the parlor where the mayor poured them both a drink, handing Emma one of the glass tumblers.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I can't help feeling like you're luring me into position before you pounce." Emma couldn't help the question as it slipped from her lips. She sat down on one of the couches.

Regina sat down right beside her. She sighed. "I was jealous of Graham that night, not you."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Why be jealous of Graham?"

Regina shook her head. "Really Miss Swan, you haven't put it together by now?" She leaned forward and captured a shocked Emma Swan's lips in a soft, exploratory kiss.

Emma's eyes were wide when Regina pulled away. Regina had just kissed her. She'd just let Regina kiss her. And she really wanted Regina to kiss her again. "Oh." She shook her head softly to clear the fog from it. "I thought you said tonight was about a business proposition."

Regina bit her lip. "It is. In a way. I want you to move in here. I have plenty of room, much more than Ms. Blanchard, and I want to help with the baby."

Emma nearly spit up the cider she was currently in the process of sipping. "What?" Her eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling. "You want me to move in _here_? As in this house? With you? And Henry?"

Regina nodded calmly, not at all deterred by Emma's reaction. "You don't have to answer right away. Think on it." She stood. "Dinner should be almost ready." She held out a hand to Emma.

The blonde eyed it warily for a moment before conceding and taking it. She let Regina lead her through the ground floor to the dining room. She'd never been in this room before but it was just as grand as all the other rooms she'd been in, decorated in rich autumn colors. Regina pulled out the chair at the head of the table and motioned for Emma to sit. "I'll be right back."

After Regina had set down an amazing array of food, all of which made Emma salivate, she took the seat to Emma's right, much to the blonde's surprise. She had expected Regina would take the other head of the table, but apparently the brunette had different ideas.

Dinner was amazing, though as predicted, anything with meat made Emma turn away. Luckily, Regina had anticipated this and cooked plenty of vegetarian dishes as well. Once she'd had her fill, Emma sighed contentedly and leaned back in her chair.

"That, I do believe, was the best meal I think I've ever had in my life. I had no idea you knew how to cook."

Regina smiled. "I have many skills."

Not quite sure why she felt the sudden urge to be close to the brunette, she decided that for tonight, she just wouldn't question her impulses. She leaned forward, quick as a snake, and met Regina's smile with a heated kiss. It was most likely her hormones, she knew, but she had promised herself not to question anything. Finally, she pulled away, breathless.

Regina smiled at her and didn't give her a chance to analyze the situation. She was pulling Emma up out of her seat and leading her towards the stairs. They ascended slowly, anticipation building with each step closer to the double doors that hid Regina's bedroom from view.

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"Did I miss something?" Mary Margaret stared at the boxes that were lined up at the bottom of the stairs. "Last time we discussed Regina, we were talking about her throwing a paperweight at the wall. Are you sure this is safe?"

Emma descended the stairs with her final box in tow. "We… worked things out over dinner last week. She's very generously offered to help take care of the baby."

"I could help take care of the baby."

Emma felt her heart break just a little at the hurt in Mary Margaret's tone. "I know. Which is why I'd like to have you be the official babysitter once tyke number two decides to make an appearance. But I want this baby to grow up around Henry. Plus, maybe this will give me an opportunity to mend things with Regina."

Mary Margaret nodded. She barely had enough room in her apartment to house her and Emma. Truth be told, she had been worried about how they'd make the space and time work once an infant was thrown into the mix.

Regina put her up in the room right next to her own. She had offered Emma to share her room, but Emma wasn't quite ready for a commitment of that magnitude. Moving in here at all had been a crazy impulse and while she didn't regret it, she was apprehensive about what it would be like to live with a woman who, up until last week, had been her worst enemy.

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"I don't know what you said to make the Evil Queen like you, but I'm glad she does." Henry sat next to her at his castle.

"Henry… there's something I have to share with you…" Emma had been even more apprehensive about telling him that she was pregnant than she had been about telling Regina.

"That you're dating my mom?"

Emma's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. How did he even know? Emma, in shock, tumbled off the castle and was just lucky enough that she kept her feet under her. "I, uh, did your mother tell you?" She paused.

"After the clock in the square started working again, more pages started to appear in the story. It's picked up right where it left off. You're in love with the Evil Queen."

Emma shook her head. She wasn't in love with anyone. Especially not Regina Mills. "That's not what I wanted to tell you."

Sadness crossed Henry's features. She'd never seen him look so forlorn. "This is about _her_, isn't it?"

"Who?"

"The baby."

Emma's mouth fell open. "Don't tell me she's in the book too…"

He nodded.

Emma had somehow known it was a girl. Maybe it was mother's instinct, maybe it was preordained, who could say? But one thing was for sure…this little girl did not Henry a happy camper make.


	3. Somebody To Love

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: new update hot off the keyboard from this morning. admittedly there are quite a few mommy moments (aka sappy moments with a mom theme) in this chapter. but all in all i love this chapter. i am quite shocked at how much attention this story has recieved and so fast too. it really inspires me to keep things up. busy working on the next update. should have it up sometime before sunday. just a quick note, i'm traveling through the pregnancy at a quick speed. at the beginning of this chapter emma is about 18 weeks, by the end she's about 30.

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Sunlight streamed across her face. She groaned and lifted her arm to cover her eyes. Finally she allowed herself to fully wake up. She opened her eyes. It was only then that she noticed Regina was already awake. The brunette was propped up on her elbow, staring down at her.

"Good morning."

Emma smiled. She could get used to this. Yesterday she had finally moved all her things from the guest bedroom into the master bedroom. It was her first morning actually waking up next to the brunette versus sneaking out of her bed in the early morning hours like a whore, like she had been doing for the past two months since she'd moved in. She reached out and stroked Regina's cheek. "Good morning."

Regina's free hand sought her bare stomach and rested there. Surprisingly, Emma loved it. It was almost as if the brunette was being protective of the little girl growing inside her, though Regina didn't know it was a girl. Emma had made Henry promise to keep it a secret, especially from Regina. She wanted it to be a surprise to everyone.

Emma leaned up and captured Regina's lips with her own. She wouldn't admit it out loud but she'd gotten severely attached to the way her life had become.

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"Hello, Sheriff. I'll announce you."

Emma ignored Regina's secretary. "No need." She pushed into the mayor's huge office.

Regina looked up, startled, but smiled when she saw Emma. "What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting for lunch in a couple hours. Is everything okay? Are you feeling alright?" Her happiness at seeing Emma quickly melted into concern.

Emma crossed the room without a word, grabbed Regina's hand and put it to the left side of her tiny bump. "Wait for it… **there**! Do you feel it?" Emma looked down at Regina in excitement.

Regina stared at her hand. It was small, but powerful, the tiniest little nudge. The wonder of it amazed her.

"The baby's moving!" Emma beamed as if she were the first woman ever to have experienced the wonders of pregnancy.

Regina leaned over to the intercom. "Delilah, please cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day. I'm taking off early."

"Yes, Mayor Mills."

"Thank you, Delilah."

Regina turned her attention back to the blonde pressed between her and her desk. She slid her hands down to the Sheriff's hips and lifted her with ease onto the desk. She lifted Emma's shirt up, exposing the tiny swell of her belly, planting soft kisses all over it. Her hand found the button on Emma's jeans and she popped it open, pulling the jeans off in one fell swoop, a skill that impressed even Emma.

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"Close your eyes." Regina met her at the top of the stairs.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Regina frowned. "I have a surprise for you."

Emma shrugged and let her eyes fall closed. Regina grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway towards their bedroom. But she stopped short and Emma heard the sound of a different door opening. "Open your eyes."

Emma obeyed and her breath caught. The guest bedroom she'd first occupied when she moved in had been totally redecorated… as a nursery. It screamed Regina, done in whites, blacks, and grays. And every here and there was a splash of red.

"What do you think?" Regina bit her lip. "We had to do it a little at a time, all while you were at work so you didn't find out."

Emma walked into the room, running her hands along the ebony wood of the crib and the changing table. It was more than she could ever ask for. She stared down into the empty crib. "I love you."

Regina frowned. Had Emma just said what she thinks she said? "What?"

Emma glanced up at her, tears in her eyes. "I love you."

Regina shook her head. "I…" She turned and bolted down the hall, leaving Emma to stare after her.

Emma gave her a moment then followed. She opened the door to the master bedroom slowly. Last time she'd upset Regina, wall had met paperweight in an unfortunate confrontation. But Regina was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking rather small.

"Regina?" She closed the door and held back near it. "It's okay. I'm sorry if I upset you."

Regina looked at her. "Did you mean it?"

Emma nodded. "I've been trying to tell you for weeks now."

"So, why now?"

Emma shrugged. "I just couldn't keep it in anymore. Maybe my heart just got tired of waiting for my head to catch up."

Regina managed a weak smile and Emma took that as her cue that it was okay to approach. She sat on the bed next to Regina. The brunette looked down at her stomach and Emma felt a kick. She reached out, grabbing Regina's hand and bringing it to the spot of the assault. "She always responds whenever you're around. I think she's rather fond of you Regina Mills."

Regina glanced up at Emma, her eyes sparkling with a light Emma had never seen before. There was hope in that gaze, and… happiness. "She?"

Emma nodded. "I wanted to surprise you, but I guess I let the cat out of the bag."

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"There you are!" Regina quit pacing across the lobby as soon as she saw Emma walk through the doors. "I thought I was going to have to go in without you."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "It's an ultrasound. Don't you think you're missing the crucial component?" Emma indicated her own stomach, which had surprisingly grown no bigger in the four weeks since the first sign of a baby had begun to appear. It still looked as if she turned a cereal bowl upside down on her stomach and grown a layer of skin over it.

Regina rolled her eyes and seized Emma's hand, dragging her towards the small obstetrics department of Storybrooke's little hospital. Emma smiled. The closer it got to her due date, the more motherly Regina became. She seemed to be highly in tune to Emma's every need and the blonde was getting quite a bit of enjoyment out of getting her way. It wasn't a luxury Regina would let her get away with otherwise, but the baby seemed to be her golden ticket. If she wanted rainbow sherbet at three in the morning, Regina would get up without complaint and go get her some, though she was sure the brunette made the clerk at the store feel her wrath.

She was surprised to see Dr. Whale waiting for them. Her eyes got wide in horror. "You're the obstetrician?"

He grinned. "Under normal circumstances, no, but as you know, Storybrooke is a small town and we have to call out to request these specialists. You're going to be only the second woman to give birth in Storybrooke in… quite some time, and the first, as you know, didn't require the assistance of an obstetrician for delivery. Unfortunately, the one we contacted has been delayed, so I'm what you got. Believe me, I can handle a simple check up." He turned and led the way towards the small exam room.

Emma smiled until he turned his back. Then she leaned over to Regina. "I'll give him the ultrasound, but no check up."

"He's a doctor Emma. He'll be professional, I'm sure."

"But he's been between my mot… between Mary Margaret's legs and I'm just…"

"Really?" Regina raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Maybe the town nun wasn't such a prude after all.

Emma glared at her. She lowered her voice to even more of a whisper, so soft even Regina could barely hear it. "If you let him get between these legs today, or _ever_, you better believe you will never between them again." She straightened with a smile and went confidently after the doctor.

Regina scowled and stormed after them.

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Dr. Whale touched the transducer to the gel on her stomach and pressed. Those who have never been through pregnancy before don't quite grasp that while this may look like a completely painless process, and considering labor and delivery it is quite the preferable option of pregnancy procedures, but it is not very fun. It actually kinda hurts at times. They have to press the transducer down harder than you might imagine to get an accurate picture. Emma had forgotten that uncomfortable pain in the eleven years since she'd last had to experience it, but it came back like a slap in the face after two seconds. She winced, but turned her attention to the monitor. The first thing she recognized was the sound of the fetal heartbeat. Emma grinned. "It's so strong."

Dr. Whale nodded. "That is a nice, strong heartbeat."

Emma stared at the monitor, the shifting black and white-grey mess making no sense. Until it did. As she was able to make out the head, her hand found Regina's without even looking. She grasped it firmly and pointed at the monitor with her free hand. "Do you see her Regina?"

Regina leaned across Emma, closer to the monitor, marveling at indistinct curves that indicated head, shoulders, limbs. It was the most out of focus picture she'd ever seen in her life, and yet it was the most beautiful. "She's exquisite."

The love in Regina's voice should have shocked her. It had only been four months since she'd told Regina, seven months since the wordless moment they'd shared at Graham's funeral. Before Graham had passed, if anyone had asked her if Regina could be capable of love, she would have been reluctant to answer, simply because she would have been unsure. Regina had warm moments at times, but was mostly cold, to Emma more than most. But now… there was no denying Regina was enamored with this little girl. Emma smiled, feeling her emotions for the woman multiplied in that moment. "Of course she's marvelous… she's ours."

Regina finally dragged her eyes from the screen to stare down at Emma, the wonder still in the gleaming brown of her irises.

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She found Henry on his bed, pouring over what she assumed were the latest pages in the book.

"Hey kid."

He looked at her, then down to her stomach and finally back to his book.

"Are you ever going to tell me what it says?" She pointed towards the open book on his lap. Henry had been distant since that day at the castle. He treated her exactly how he had always treated Regina, with cold indifference. It hurt much more than she'd thought it would. At first she had assumed it was jealousy over the new baby, fear of being pushed out. But that wasn't it. Sometimes she catch Henry sneaking into the nursery to read the book. He liked it there, around all the baby stuff. He wanted this as much as Regina did. No, something else was bothering him, but every time she asked, he'd deflect.

He looked at her uncertainly. "I'm not sure you're ready."

She raised an eyebrow. When had she heard that before? "Do you remember the last time you said that to me? It wasn't that long ago."

He frowned at her. "You weren't ready then either, but I needed you to stay, to break the curse."

"What do you mean I wasn't ready then?" Emma tried to keep the defensiveness out of her tone and only half-succeeded. "I think I've come a long way from where I was when you brought me here."

He gave her a look that was pure Regina, one eyebrow raised, that 'do you really believe I'm that stupid' expression on his face. You could tell which one of them had raised him. "You're in love with the Evil Queen."

Emma smiled. Maybe she was. She definitely loved Regina, quite possibly more than she'd ever loved anyone before her, but that wasn't saying much. Emma hardly let herself care. Growing up the way she did… you learn quickly that attachments often prove harmful, love being the most dangerous attachment of all. No, she didn't let herself form any attachments, and yet, now she couldn't really quite recall how she'd lived before Regina. It must have been quite a lonely existence. If that was what it meant to be in love with someone, than Emma Swan was madly in love with Regina Mills. "But don't you think that might be the way it's supposed to be?"

Henry looked at her like she was crazy. "She cursed the entire Enchanted Forest!"

Emma walked over and sat on the bed near him. "She cursed the people who had condemned her. Life is open to interpretation Henry. There isn't some grand design where each new being is made either innately good or innately evil. Life happens. Then we react to that. And other people interpret our reactions as they see fit. When I see the Evil Queen… I see someone who suffered unspeakably, and either no one cared, or no one knew. Either way, she didn't start evil. When I think about what she must have felt, losing someone she obviously cared about that much, I kinda wanna go back to the moment where it all went wrong and give her a hug, let her cry it out." She ruffled Henry's hair. "If I lost you, or Regina for that matter, I'd probably go pretty evil too if I was just disregarded."

Outside, in the hallway, a tear slid down Regina's cheek. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop… okay, maybe she had, how else would you explain sneaking in the back door instead of coming through the front… but something stirred inside of her when Emma had said that. Emma Swan, of all people, wanted to protect who she was. It was… confusing and wonderful all at once. She wiped the tear away. It wouldn't do for Henry to know she'd heard; he already didn't trust her. She squared her shoulders and finished her trek up the hall until she was in Henry's doorway.

Emma noticed her first and an easy smile spread across the blonde's face. "Hey, you're home early…" Emma's eyes glanced at the clock on Henry's bedside table with a frown. "Or, it's quite a bit later than I realized." She shrugged sheepishly.

Henry looked up from his book at Regina and she had to hold her breath to keep from gasping. For the first time in a long time she saw something but contempt and disappointment in his eyes. What Emma had said had obviously had an effect on him. It was progress, something she could build upon. "I'm going to go start dinner."

Henry glanced at his book, then at Emma, and finally back at Regina. "Can I help?"

Regina couldn't hide the shock. "Of course." She looked at Emma as if she were some surreal being that couldn't possibly exist, full of wonder. She turned and walked back down the hall, still a bit mystified. Who was this woman who'd snuggled so comfortably into their lives?

Henry looked at Emma, his gaze sliding down to her belly. Slowly, he reached out a put a hand on her small bump, a smile lighting his features. "I'm Henry. I'm your big brother. I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered it softly but Emma could still hear the love in his voice.


	4. Deadline

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: still have absolutely no clue where i'm taking this. right now, just writing what flows out of my head as it gets there. thank you for all the interest and support. i appreciate it.

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"Emma?" Henry stumbled into the kitchen lights, which were harsh compared to the darkness of the rest of the house. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His hair was mussed from its time on his pillow.

Emma looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar or, more accurately, an adult eating apple pie right out of the tin at two thirty in the morning. "Hey kid." She set the fork and the pie tin down beside her on the counter, which she had, much to her surprise, been able to lift herself up onto.

"Late night craving?" Henry walked in and leaned against the fridge with a smirk. "Mom's gonna kill you."

Emma looked down at the pie, once whole but now a quarter gone, with a look of resignation. "At least she'll wait until after the baby comes."

"That's the third one this week." Henry looked at his mother. Her bump had grown minimally, maybe a couple inches more, despite the fact that she was only a month and a half from her due date now.

"Yea, I don't know where it all goes, but this little girl loves your mom's apples. Hell, she loves your mom period. I want a kick, no sir, but just stand next to Regina and she's hopping around like a bunny in there."

"It's the connection to the Enchanted Forest."

Henry walked over to the cupboard, removed a glass, and set it on the counter. He pulled out the orange juice from the fridge and poured himself a cup. He was acting perfectly normal, despite the fact that Emma was looking at him like he was crazy.

"What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"

"My name's Henry." Now he was looking at her as if she were crazy.

She rolled her eyes. "Pop culture reference, kid. Before your time." She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by it being her connection to the Enchanted Forest?"

Henry took a sip of his juice and looked at her. "She doesn't respond to this world. Both her parents were born there."

"So, what are you saying?"

Henry all of sudden seemed to think he was going to die of dehydration, the glass flew to his lips so fast.

"Henry!" She wasn't as good at it as Regina, but she could manage a pretty decent stern parent voice when she tried.

"Another one Emma? Are they ever going to make it to dessert?"

Emma nearly jumped out of her skin and gave the woman in the doorway her best _'please don't kill me, I'm too cute'_ smiles before shrugging sheepishly. "I can't help it your apples are baby crack."

Regina walked over, grabbed the pie tin and scooped a forkful of the pie into her own mouth. She glared at the blonde, but there was no hostility behind her gaze. "Your lucky I don't punish you by making you eat it all."

Emma put a hand to her stomach. "Don't make promises you won't keep, junior's already doing a happy dance."

Regina smiled and put free hand to the small stomach. Emma wasn't lying. "She's feisty."

Emma's mouth turned down. "Great, just what I need, another you."

Regina socked Emma's arm.

Emma held the sore spot and leaned away from the brunette. "You better watch it or I'll sign up for one of those 'Stop Domestic Violence' PSAs. Then everyone will know how I suffer." She stole the fork from Regina's hand and popped the chunk of pie on the end of it into her mouth.

Henry pushed his way into the fray and stole the fork from her, scooping up a new chunk of pie and eating it.

Emma chuckled and ruffled his hair.

And that's how the Mills household welcomed the dawn, sitting on the counter eating apple pie out of the tin.

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"What are you doing here?" Henry looked up at Emma curiously when he joined her in front of the school. She didn't normally pick him up. That was Regina's job.

"I thought we could make a walk of it. It, oddly enough, seems to help the more I exercise. Go figure." She shrugged, still stumped by this fact that every doctor tells you, but you still always refuse to believe. "I wanted to continue our conversation from earlier. I know we got interrupted by Regina."

"You have to hurry and break the curse." Henry stated as they turned onto Main Street.

"I'm not talking about Operation Cobra here, kid."

"Yes, you are." He looked to her stomach. "She's a part of it now. She's in the book. And the book said…" He trailed off sadly.

"The book said what Henry? Tell me."

He looked up at her with apologetic eyes. "The book said if the curse doesn't break and you don't get back to the Enchanted Forest before she comes, bad things are going to happen."

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"Regina?" Emma stared at the mayor as she got ready for bed and then slipped in under the sheets beside the blonde.

"Hmm?" She turned off the lamp on the bedside table.

"Do you know how to break the curse?"

The lamp on the bedside table instantly came back on and Regina sat up, looking at her suspiciously. "Excuse me?"

"The curse… that brought everyone to Storybrooke, I was wondering how to break it."

"I have no idea what you're…"

"Henry said she's in the book. Since both her parents are from the Enchanted Forest, she has to go back there to be born or else something bad will happen."

"Both her parents?" Regina looked confused. "You're from Arizona."

"Not originally."

"Emma… if Henry's book were true, why would all the other fairytale characters end up in the same town in Maine, and you'd end up in Arizona?" She reached for the lamp to turn it back off and end the conversation.

"Because my parents shoved me in a magical tree."

Regina's arm froze. "You're lying." Emma couldn't see her face, but the tone of her voice was lethal.

"Oh, if only I were." Emma sighed. "God, it really is real, isn't it?"

"If I am who you truly think I am, why would you stay?"

Emma had asked herself the same question over and over again. The deeds of the Evil Queen, as cataloged in the book, were grave and numerous. If she wasn't afraid for herself, she should be afraid for her children; they were related to Snow White too. Except, she wasn't. Fearing Regina seemed an absurd concept. "Probably because I'm in love with you."

Regina finally turned to look at her, a darkness in her eyes Emma had never seen before. "Dangerous words when you consider who you're dealing with."

Emma shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."

"If you knew everything I've done… I didn't stop with the curse. I…"

"Killed my daughter's father?" Now it was Emma's turn to look away.

"You knew?"

Emma nodded. "That's in the book too."

"But you've said nothing."

Emma shrugged. "What happened with Graham was the product of loneliness and one too many beers… I didn't love him Regina. One day, you'll have to answer to _her_ for that crime, but until then, you don't have to worry about me."

Regina remembered the speech she'd overheard Emma giving Henry. Obviously the blonde practiced what she preached. Maybe she could too. Maybe her hatred could end with Emma's mother. Emma never knew the woman, was never influenced by her. No, Regina couldn't hold her responsible for the sins of the mother.

"I know you don't love me Regina, but I also know you do love her." She looked down at her stomach. "I'm not asking for my sake, but for hers."

"I don't know how to break it." Regina frowned. "I'd tell you if I did, for her sake."

Emma slowly nodded and slid down into the sheets, turning on her side so she wouldn't have to look at Regina.

Regina leaned over and turned off the lamp. She laid back down, facing the blonde's back. "You're wrong Emma, I do love you."

She saw no indication that Emma had heard her, and just as she was about to give the blonde up as asleep, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled it over to rest on a swollen stomach. Regina smiled and snuggled closer, pressing softly into Emma's back, her arm draped protectively across their daughter.

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The bell above the door jingled softly as she entered. She barely had time to close the door before he was there behind the counter, smirking at her as if he'd known she'd end up here all along. Maybe he had.

"Ah, Miss Swan, what a pleasant surprise."

"I assume you know what I'm here about." She glared at him, keeping most of the length of the shop between them. "Surely you remember everything from the old life."

He inclined his head in acknowledgement. "You want to know how to break the curse."

She nodded.

"You do know everything comes at a price."

Again she nodded.

"There is something I seek from the Evil Queen's vault. A heart from a woman by the name of Ehzia. Bring me that heart and I will tell you how to break the curse."

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"Absolutely not!"

Emma followed her up the stairs. She had accosted Regina the second the mayor had opened the door, not the best plan, but she was desperate. She needed that heart. "Why? Who was she?"

Regina shrugged. "A servant girl of mine from a distant village. Nothing of serious consequence, but I don't deal with that… with him. The fact that he wants her means there's some value she has that I have yet to discover." She pushed into her in home office.

Emma froze just inside the door. "I…" She didn't finish her sentence, just turned and left the room.

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Regina stared at the pile of clothes being tossed out of the open door and onto the bed. "What are you doing?"

Emma stepped out of the closet with a duffel bag. "I think it might be best if I go stay with Mary Margaret for a while."

Regina's mouth involuntarily fell open in shock. "You're_ leaving_?"

Emma crossed her arms across her chest and glared at Regina. "Oh no. You don't get to take that tone with me! Let's act like I'm the one being selfish here!"

"I'm not the one moving out for no reason!"

Emma shook her head sadly. "There is a reason… you're just so blind you don't even see it."

"See what?"

Emma shook her head and turned back to the bed to start stuffing clothes in the duffel. "I thought maybe… I don't know… that if I loved you enough, I could overpower the part of her that still lingered."

"Who?"

Emma paused her packing. "The Evil Queen."

"Don't go Emma."

Emma rolled her eyes. "There's nothing left for me here. I thought even if loving me was a lie…"

"It was not a lie! Do you realize how hard it was for me to admit that? I haven't let myself love anyone since…" She couldn't even utter his name aloud, even after all these years.

Emma stopped packing and walked over, pulling Regina into a hug. "Loss never goes away. Absence is always felt. There are days where it doesn't hurt so much and days where it's the most agonizing pain you could ever imagine. It comes and goes, like a tide. Your pain doesn't make you heartless Regina, it makes you human."

Regina clung to Emma, afraid she might fall if the blonde let her go. "Don't go Emma." She nuzzled the blonde's neck. "I still don't believe Mr. Gold's help is ever the answer, but I'll give you the heart. I'll give you whatever you want. Just don't go. I need you."


	5. Confronting The Past

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: just finished this. hope you guys enjoy it. working hard on the next chapter. hopefully i'll have it ready to post before the weekend, but i have a busy week so it may not be until early next week. we'll see. enjoy and review.

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Emma stared at the mausoleum with a deep frown.

"Are you sure you want…"

"Yes." Emma cut her off before she could finish the question she'd asked repeatedly all day. "This is something I need to face."

Regina regarded her for a long moment. "Fine, follow me then Miss Swan."

Emma shivered at the coldness in the other woman's tone, but she followed her up the stone steps and into the Mills family mausoleum. "I don't understand what we could have missed. Graham and I looked everywhere for…"

"Obviously not everywhere." Regina nodded towards the door. "Close that."

Emma pulled the door shut and frowned as Regina threw her weight against the sarcophagus. It was pure stone; she'd never be able to move it on her own. And yet it slid away with ease, revealing a staircase that descended into a darkness so black Emma felt her soul go cold.

Regina looked at her. "We don't have to do this. I can get the heart myself. You don't want to see what's at the bottom of this staircase Emma, believe me."

Emma stared into the blackness below. "You're right." She saw Regina visibly relax. "I don't want to see what's at the bottom… but I need to."

Regina's eyes darkened. "This is not something you can come back from. I… I've done terrible things. You'll never be able to forget who I was once you see them."

Emma didn't need to be told what _them_ was referring to. The hearts. Regina wouldn't tell her how many she had, and a part of Emma wondered if the Evil Queen had lost count somewhere along the way. Were there tens, hundreds, thousands… She couldn't even imagine one. But the only way they'd both come to terms with Regina's past was to face it head on. "I don't want to forget, Regina. The Evil Queen… she's a part of you. I love you… that means I have to love her too, regardless of what's down there."

Regina nodded, finally convinced she wouldn't be able to change Emma's mind. The blonde had always been frustratingly stubborn. She started to descend into the gloom. She'd only made it a few steps when she felt Emma's hand seize her own. She glanced over to find the blonde staring at her with an apprehensive determination. She was constantly amazed at the bravery with which Emma Swan tackled life and this time was no different. Emma wasn't fearless, but she was someone who never let her fear hold her back. Regina herself, however, constantly let her fear get the better of her. Sure, she played tough, wearing her confidence like a favorite perfume, but if she ever truly felt as if the odds weren't in her favor, she started to unravel. It was why she had adamantly protested bringing Emma to the vault. Once Emma saw who she really was, despite the blonde's constant assurances, there was a chance she'd leave. It was the vulnerability in the face of the unknown that was the chink in Regina Mill's armor. She had found, after her tearful admission while Emma held her in their bedroom, that it was the truth; she'd give up a great many things to keep Emma Swan. "I'm right here Emma. I'll protect you." She expected the blonde to ask 'but who will protect me from you?' but instead she gave a nod and the apprehension left her eyes. Regina resumed her descent, her hand firmly guiding Emma down with her.

Emma said nothing until they were standing before the wide expanse of drawers that housed her collection of hearts. Then… "They look like safe deposit boxes at a bank."

"They sort of are."

Emma shrugged. "Funny… I just assumed it would be… I don't know, creepier."

"You're standing in an underground chamber below a mausoleum in front of hundreds of drawers containing human hearts and you're bothered that it isn't creepy enough?" She shook her head. "You truly are an unusual individual Miss Swan."

Emma glanced at the brunette out of the corner of her eye, throwing her a small smile. "Unusually awesome."

Regina rolled her eyes.

Emma let go of her hand and walked up to the wall, running her hands over the drawers. Her eyes slammed shut as the flashing images overwhelmed her. So many… there were so many souls here. She pulled her hand away as if it'd been burned.

"Emma, what is it?" Regina stepped forward, a worried expression on her face.

Emma looked around. "You can't feel it?"

Regina followed suit, glancing around, but nothing caught her attention. "Feel what?"

"It's everywhere."

"What is?"

Emma stared at the wall. "Their fear."

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"It was the right decision." Regina stroked her hair as Emma laid her head on the brunette's chest that night.

Emma bit her lip. "I know. I'm just scared. It's not my life we're gambling with here." She ran a hand across her bump, still smaller than what it should be.

"Hey." Regina caught Emma's chin and tilted it up until green met brown. "You know I will never let anything happen to her, right? We'll break this curse."

Emma frowned. "We have less than two weeks left and no idea what to do. This curse wasn't designed to be broken."

"That doesn't mean it's unbreakable. We can do this… without Mr. Gold's help."

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Emma heard the doorbell just as she was coming down the stairs. Perfect timing. "I'll get it!" She shouted it out, though no one else was home. Old habits. She walked across the foyer, pausing briefly when the baby gave a particularly viscous kick, before resuming. It had been happening more frequently lately. Her projected due date had passed a week before. In the three weeks since Regina had taken her to the vault and they'd decided to refuse Mr. Gold's deal, they'd made every effort they could to break the curse. But as her due date drew nearer and then passed, Emma lost more and more hope. Maybe this thing really was unbreakable. She opened the door and was surprised to see her old roommate standing on the doorstep.

"Hey."

Mary Margaret shifted uncomfortably. "Hello."

"Come in." Emma stepped aside and ushered Mary Margaret inside. "What brings you to this part of town?"

The teacher looked around the foyer in wonder. It had been a long time since she'd been in Regina Mill's lair. "I stopped by to give you something."

Emma smiled. "You didn't have to get me anything." She led Mary Margaret into the parlor.

The teacher sat down. "Well, actually, I didn't. I made it." She opened her purse and pulled out a package wrapped simply in brown packing paper. She handed it to Emma.

"Thank you." Emma sat down.

"So, how's life with Regina?"

Emma smiled. "Good. It's nice being around Henry all the time and she's been amazing about the baby. But I miss your place sometimes." She looked around the parlor. "Everything here is so… _regal_, like some kind of palace. For a girl who grew up the way I did…"

"Do you feel out of place?"

Emma sighed. "Sometimes, but then all I have to do is look at Regina and, I don't know… something just settles into place." She blushed. Whenever she met Mary Margaret for lunch these days, they never discussed Emma's life with Regina out of courtesy.

"You truly love her, don't you?" Mary Margaret regarded Emma silently.

Emma nodded. "I do. It's funny, but when I was a kid, I always dreamed, like I'm sure every foster kid does, that I'd have a family one day. But you always think in terms of mother and father, maybe siblings. You never think about the future and creating your own. I never thought I'd be a mother… especially not twice. And Regina… I'd marry her if she asked me to. And that's a scary thing for me."

Mary put a hand on Emma's arm. "I've never seen Regina this happy before, and I've known her for as long as I can remember. If we really were all characters from fairytales, I'd say you got your happy ending." She stood. "I should go before Regina gets home. I'm afraid her opinion of me hasn't improved despite your relationship."

Emma nodded and walked her to the door. "After the baby's born, I'd like it if we could sit down, all of us, and work things out."

Mary Margaret smiled and nodded as Emma opened the door for her. "I'd love that. I can't imagine Regina being the forgiving type, but then again, I never imagined her being the loving type either. Forgiveness has power in it, just like hope. I think it'll be good for all of us."

After Emma had shut the door, she returned to the parlor, and Mary's package caught her eyes. She had almost forgotten it. She sat down and pulled the bundle into her arms. Slowly she started to unwrap it. Once she'd pulled the gift from the packaging paper, she had to fight back tears. It was a baby blanket, nearly identical to her own from twenty eight years ago, with one exception, the ribbons were red, not purple. But exactly like her own, there was a small patch, embroidered with a name. She ran her finger across the letters… and the baby kicked.

She looked down at her stomach. "Is that your name?"

The baby gave another kick, this time a violent one. She grabbed her stomach. "Ow! Settle down there junior." But the baby kicked again. She stood and headed to the kitchen. "That's it. I'm calling your mother… well, your other mother. Maybe she'll come home and give us a warm bath. Or at least bring me Tylenol." She had just crossed into the kitchen and the baby kicked again. She looked down and it was then she noticed that her jeans were soaking through. She calmly grabbed the phone and dialed the mayor's office.

"You've reached the office of Mayor Mills."

"Hey Delilah, it's Emma. Is Regina available?"

She heard the assistant hesitate. "She's on a business call right now, Sheriff Swan. Is it important?"

Emma looked at her jeans and then at the phone, a deadpan expression on her face though the secretary couldn't see it. "Nope, just having a baby here."

There was a long silence. "I'll interrupt the call."

"Oh _thank you_." Emma tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Regina was on in less than ten seconds.

"I think my water may have just broke."


	6. Curses, Hearts & Forgiveness

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: i just finally finished typing this up. with school it's been rather hard to type anything new, so if this is not up to par with the previous chapters, that's on my overworked brain. enjoy and review.

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Cora. That was to be her name. The book had updated itself the second Emma had seen the blanket. The only thing the book wasn't certain of yet was if the curse was going to break before it was too late. He hadn't told Emma the consequences of having the baby in this world. If Cora was born in this world, they'd all be stuck here, most of them not remembering who they were. Time would stop again. He would be the only one to age, because he was the only one who wasn't full fairytale blooded, the only one who'd ever be able to leave Storybrooke. He stared longingly at the pages, willing them to give him a sign, but they offered up nothing.

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"I HATE SEX!"

Regina tried to hide her smile. "Come now, Emma dear, you don't mean that."

Emma glared a her, but curled closer to her. "Fine… I just hate penis."

Again Regina had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling. It had been like this for nearly twenty hours now. It was the labor that never ends. Of the necessary ten, Emma had only dilated to five, all within the first two hours, and then she'd just… stopped. But the contractions hadn't. Every time Emma found a comfortable spot, it seemed, the baby would shift and make her uncomfortable again. They wouldn't give her an epidural until she hit six centimeters. So Regina had been up all night rubbing soothing circles on Emma's back and listening to her rant about stupid men and their stupid boy penises. The blonde claimed her presence was the only thing that kept the baby at bay.

"Ow, God Cora, settle down already."

Regina froze. "Excuse me? What did you just call her?"

"Cora. Isn't it pretty?"

"Where did you hear that name?"

Emma shrugged, a frown on her face. "Mary Margaret dropped off a gift for the baby. It was a blanket with the name Cora embroidered on it. Why? You don't like it?"

Regina looked down at the disappointment on Emma's face and shook her head. "It's not that." She slipped away from the blonde. "I just need to go speak with Miss Blanchard a moment."

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Mary Margaret saw Regina storming down the hall towards the waiting room with fierce purpose and she stood, instantly afraid that something had happened to Emma.

"Is everything alright?"

Regina's laser focus shifted onto her and, too late, Mary Margaret realized she was the intended target of that anger that was fueling her.

"Where do you come off?"

"Excuse me? Regina…"

"Mayor Mills to you!"

"Fine. Mayor Mills, what are you talking about?" Mary Margaret crossed her arms across her chest.

"The name! On the blanket! What gives you the right?"

Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes, confusion on her face. "Isn't that the baby's name? I could have sworn Emma told me that's what it was… maybe I dreamed it. Emma can just remove the patch if I was wrong. It's not a big deal."

Regina's anger burned out just as quickly as it had ignited. "It seems Emma liked your accidental name choice, so it would seem I have no choice anymore."

"Why do you care? What… were you hoping to name her Regina Jr.?"

The sass in Mary Margaret's tone took them both aback. Mary Margaret's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open slightly in shock that those words had come from her own mouth. "I'm sorry, Mayor Mills, I don't know where that came from."

"I do."

Mary Margaret looked to her for an explanation, but Regina was already heading back towards Emma's room.

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HOUR 25

Emma was finally asleep. Regina watched the heavy rise and fall of her chest, heard the labored beating of her heart. If she allowed herself to be truthful, she was terrified. The baby was putting so much strain on Emma's body. It had been an unusual pregnancy from the start. First of all, Emma had barely gained any weight or size. She looked more five months pregnant than she did the ten she actually was. Then there was the fact that the baby was almost a month late. All of it had Regina worried. What if Emma was right about Henry's book? What if there would be serious consequences if the baby was born in this world? She had to find a way to break the curse.

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HOUR 31

It was closed and dark, but she just removed her ring of keys and stuck the appropriate one in the lock. She made sure she let the door slam behind her as she entered so that he'd know she was here, if he didn't already.

"Breaking and Entering, Madame Mayor?"

She frowned. "I didn't break anything."

"But you did enter." He gave her his small grin. "At your own risk."

"I brought you what you asked for." She put the small box she'd just retrieved from her vault before him on the counter.

He placed a hand on the lid and smiled but didn't open it.

Regina's patience was wearing thin. "I gave you the heart, now tell me what I need to know!"

Mr. Gold shrugged. "I believe the deal I made was with Miss Swan, not you." He pushed the box back towards her.

Regina could have killed his manipulative ass in that moment. How dare he? She should have known finding out how to break the curse wouldn't be this easy. She looked down at the box with a mixture of shame, regret, and hatred. "Keep it. I have no use for hearts anymore." She turned on her heel and stormed back toward the door.

"Madame Mayor, I will give you a small something in payment. I hate being in debt."

She turned back to see him grinning at her. Her stomach twisted in a knot.

He pointed to a clock. The time was 11:51PM. "You have nine minutes to get back to the hospital if you wish to see Miss Swan alive."

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HOUR 32

"Regina?" Emma woke to an empty hospital room, the mayor nowhere to be seen. The pain in her stomach was awful, worse than the contractions by far. She clutched at her abdomen and if trying to hold the pain in. This wasn't right. Something was wrong. The baby. She slammed the call button with a clinched fist.

A tinny voice came over the intercom near the bed. "Yes, Miss Swan?"

Emma gritted her teeth through the pain. "Something's wrong." She looked down and cried out at the sight of a glaringly bright red stain spreading across the pristine white of the hospital blanket.

Where in the hell was Regina? She tried to take a deep breath to calm herself but it hurt too much. Instead she sucked in air, sharply.

A nurse appeared in the doorway, her eyes growing wide at the sight of all the blood. She leaned out into the hall and shouted something that Emma couldn't hear. The only thing she could hear was the ferocious pounding of her own heart in her ears.

Hospital personnel ran in and crowded around the bed.

Somewhere in the distance she heard someone scream that they had to get her to an OR, but she really couldn't focus on if the voice was real or imagined. She searched the blur of faces for Regina but she wasn't there. But Mary Margaret was. Emma tried to focus on the schoolteacher but the woman was blurry around the edges. A shot of pain surged out from her abdomen.

"Tell Regina…" She reached out and grabbed Mary Margaret's hand. "If it comes down to it… tell her to pick Cora."

The doctors and nurses pushed Mary Margaret out of her grasp as they unlocked the bed and pushed it out of the room.

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Regina had never run so fast in her life. She nearly slid as she rounded the corner into Emma's room. But Emma wasn't there. It was just Mary Margaret standing there, staring at the empty space where the bed had once been.

"What happened? Where's Emma?"

Mary Margaret looked at her with eyes that weren't really seeing her. "It's her twenty-ninth birthday today. I just came in to wish her a happy birthday."

"What happened?" Regina grabbed the woman by the shoulders and shook her.

Mary Margaret shook her head and seemed to come out of her fog, at least partially. "There was so much blood, a problem with the baby." She looked at Regina. "They took her to the OR." She lifted her hands; they had some blood on them, transferred from Emma's hands when she'd reached out.

Regina turned and ran from the room. She raced towards the doors at the end of the hall that led to the surgery wing of the hospital. Just as she was about to push through, right past a plaque that warned **authorized personnel only**, a nurse stepped in front of her.

"I'm sorry Mayor Mills. You'll have to stay in the waiting room."

"The hell I do." Regina was prepared to come to physical blows if they tried to keep her from Emma.

"It'll compromise her safety."

That deflated some of Regina's steam.

"Mom. Where's Emma?"

And that deflated the rest of it.

She turned and saw Henry, standing just outside the entrance to the waiting room. He looked scared, standing there, clutching that infernal book like it was his armor. She walked over to him and crouched down to his level.

He looked at her, his eyes betraying his fear. Tears fringed their edges. "She's dying, isn't she?"

Regina pulled him into a fierce hug and he clung to her as if his life depended on it. "Mommy, I don't want Emma to die."

Regina felt her heart breaking. Henry hadn't been like this with her since early childhood, in the days where she was the hero who fought the monsters under the bed.

"I won't let anything happen to Emma, or the baby."

He pulled away from the hug, but not her arms. "Do you promise?"

She tried to reassure him with a small kiss to the forehead and a nod.

For a moment, he looked as if he might believe her, but then his eyes caught something over her shoulder.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw a nurse emerge from the restricted area of the hospital. She glanced back at Henry. "Go into the waiting room, okay? I'll be right there. I promise."

He nodded slowly and disappeared back into the waiting room.

She turned and walked over to the nurse, trying to keep a calm composure.

The nurse regarded her with fear. "Mayor Mills. Miss Swan is losing a lot of blood. She's bleeding internally. The baby is compromised. Fetal heartbeat is crashing."

"Well then get the baby out!"

"If we were to remove the fetus, it would have to be by c-section. There's a chance Miss Swan would bleed out."

"So, if you leave the child in, she'll die, but if you take her out, Emma will die. That's what you're trying to tell me? You want me to pick between my child and the woman that I love?"

"Save the baby."

Regina whirled around and stared daggers at Mary Margaret. "This isn't your choice!"

Mary Margaret stared at her sadly. "No, you're right, it's Emma's. She told me just before they took her away." She looked past Regina at the nurse. "Save the baby."

Regina looked over at the nurse. "Save them both."

The nurse scampered off back through the doors.

Regina turned to Mary Margaret. She stared at the woman she had hated for so long. "I think she's going to die. I don't know how I can do this without her."

Mary Margaret regarded the normally fierce mayor. "Do what?"

Regina took a deep breath. "Life."

"She never would have forgiven you if you picked her over the baby."

Regina nodded.

Mary Margaret stepped over to Regina. "If… if it comes to that, I'll be there for you, to help. It's what Emma would want and I'm willing to put whatever happened between us in the past."

Regina nodded. "Me too." For the first time, she actually meant it. She looked to the closed door of the waiting room with dread. "I have to go tell Henry." She really didn't want to go and tell him that she'd failed. She looked down as something touched her hand and was amazed to see Mary Margaret's hand clutching her own.

"We'll tell him together."

Regina nodded.

Neither woman noticed the dark smoke that had been pooling out from under the door of the waiting room. Regina opened the door and they walked, hand in hand, into oblivion.


	7. Domestication

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: so i'm thinking only one more chapter after this one, just to wrap everything up. this was my fluffy fic that was only supposed to be a one-shot and then it evolved into this. and thanks to tv guide, who ruined my explanation of why the name cora tripped regina up. i was hoping to get this chapter posted before the news was announced. darn tv guide! thank you to everyone for their continued support. enjoy and review.

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Well that had been rather short lived. She stalked around the room, frustratingly beating against the enchantments that held her prisoner with her powers. She had thought that Snow and her had at least made progress towards being cordial. They were by no means friends, but there had been forgiveness on both parts; she'd felt it flow between them. Obviously the feelings were there or the curse wouldn't have broken.

But it seemed those last few moments where they'd bonded over their fear of losing Emma were completely forgotten the second they came to in their homeland. Snow had ordered the guards to seize her and they had, but only because she had been caught unaware. And now she was trapped in this enchanted room. It was furnished well; she had no lack of any comfort. But, with the exception of the guard who brought her meals, she hadn't seen a soul in nearly three days. She was growing tired of this.

Regina paced around the cell like a feral cat. She hadn't anticipated the breaking of the curse, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to get the jump on her so easily. She didn't know who had put the enchantments on her prison but they were strong. Her powers were contained here, a feeling she wasn't quite fond of. Containment had never suited her.

She turned at the sound of a key in the lock. A guard stepped in, followed closely by Snow White herself.

Regina considered attacking them until Snow stepped from the guard's shadow and Regina saw the bundle, wrapped in a fuzzy white blanket, in her old enemy's arms.

Snow was looking down into the bundle fondly. "She's such a good girl." She looked up at Regina. "I thought you might want to meet your daughter."

Regina stepped forward without hesitation and let the younger woman set the infant into her arms. She looked down at the most precious face she'd ever seen and her heart melted. Cora stared up at her with Emma's eyes. A smile suddenly crossed the baby girl's face, a grin that seemed to say "there you are" and she reached a hand towards Regina's face.

Regina looked at Snow. "And Emma?"

Snow's smile fell from her face. "I should go." She grabbed the baby from Regina's arms, eliciting a cry of protest from both Cora and Regina.

"Is she dead?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Snow didn't explain her cryptic answer, just turned and left the room.

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It was another three days before they came for her.

Snow showed up, once again accompanied by only one guard. "Will you come with me?"

Regina nodded and stood, following both out of her enchanted prison. They walked to the other side of the castle, to the west tower. When they reached the base of the tower, they ascended a grueling staircase that nearly had Regina heaving by the time they stopped outside an unremarkable wooden door. Snow knocked once and then indicated that Regina should enter.

She pushed into the vast tower room and heard the door close softly behind her.

Emma smiled from where she was hovering over the crib. She looked tired and small, as if all the old fight and fire that Regina had respected in her had gone. She wore a loose fitting nightdress that didn't suit her in the least but she seemed too exhausted to care.

"It's been a week." Regina didn't know what else to say.

Emma nodded. "They said they wouldn't let you see me until they were sure I would live. Even here, they still fear you."

Regina smiled. "Here they have more cause to fear me. Here, I'm a queen."

Emma nodded. She tried to take a step towards Regina, but changed her mind. It was then that Regina saw the white knuckled death grip Emma had on the crib. She was putting all her weight on it, using it for support.

Regina walked over to her, stopping with a mere foot of space between them. "I was… _scared_." The last word was the merest whisper, as if she was afraid the air would hear and see it as a weakness. "No one would tell me what had happened and with your condition in Storybrooke… I didn't know what to think."

"You thought I was dead… hell, I thought I was dead." Emma looked down at the sleeping infant in the crib. "She was determined to wait until we got back here and my body was determined to get her out. When they rolled me into that OR, all I could think of was never getting to be a family, never getting to see you again, never getting to see Henry or her grow up. I knew I was going to die. And then this black smoke was everywhere and I woke up… here." She looked down at her hand on the crib with a small disgust at her fragility, both physically and emotionally. "I don't remember much about the birth. I blacked out a lot and I'm told magic was required to heal me, but yesterday I woke up and Mary Margaret… my mother was there, with Cora. I wanted it to be you." She finally let go of the crib and took a shaky step forward, slowly wrapping her arms around Regina in her best attempt at a hug.

Regina pulled her in tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again Emma Swan or the consequences will be severe."

Emma chuckled and the sound was music to Regina's ears.

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When Snow returned she found Emma fast asleep on the bed, an activity she had enjoyed much of since the birth while her body repaired itself. It was Regina who surprised her. The Evil Queen's back was to the door and she hadn't noticed Snow's quiet entrance. She was rocking Cora in her arms and singing a soft lullaby in a beautiful voice Snow had never known she possessed. Cora, for her part, seemed just as enamored with Regina as the dark woman was with her.

Snow smiled to herself. When the curse had broken and brought them back, she had jumped to the conclusion that it would turn her into the woman she had always been here: the Evil Queen. But maybe she had been wrong. Maybe Emma, Henry, and little Cora were all it had taken to melt the black heart of the Evil Queen.

As Regina finished the lullaby, she turned. If she was surprised to see her old enemy, she gave no indication of it. Cora was fast asleep in her arms but Regina seemed content just to hold her anyway.

"I need to speak with you."

Regina looked down at the little infant in her arms and then reluctantly nodded. She gently laid her daughter back into her crib and walked out with Snow White. As soon as she closed the door, her demeanor changed to one of offense. "How dare you let me stay locked away when Emma might have died?" She looked hurt. "I could have helped!"

Snow narrowed her eyes. "Your type of magic is not welcome here."

"Have you come to return me back to my cell then?"

Snow shook her head. "No, Regina. I want to try forgiveness. I have yet to understand why, but my daughter loves you. I know you think me heartless, but that does mean something to me. You, despite our past, are the other mother of my grandchildren. This feud between us, it must end. If not for our own sakes, then for the sake of Cora. Henry has seen our hatred, he's read the book. He already knows the damage this has wrought. But her… she's oblivious to it. She has yet to know what brought us to this point. If I have one wish for her, it's that she never will."

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"How's Emma?"

Regina sat awkwardly next to Henry on the bed. She'd insisted on visiting him. He'd been so scared when she'd last seen him and she needed to make sure he was alright. He'd greeted her with his usual indifference; she had a feeling some things would never change. "She's tired."

"Can I see her?"

"If it were up to me, I'd take you there right now." She frowned. "But it's not my decision."

Henry nodded sadly. "They won't let me see her. No one would even tell me if she was okay."

"She's going to be just fine. She just needs time to recover."

"I'm scared." He looked up at her.

"I told you I wouldn't let any harm come to your mom, or Cora either, remember? I know how you feel about them. They're important to you… and to me. I'll protect them."

He nodded.

She leaned down and kissed his head. "I should get back before they wake up." She got up and made for the door.

"Mom?"

She smiled to herself, but reigned it in quickly and glanced over her shoulder nonchalantly. It wouldn't do to have him see her too excited by such a simple title, yet it was one he had long denied her.

"You're important to me too."

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"There you are!" Emma looked frantic and frazzled as Regina came into the room. Cora was in her arms, wailing like a banshee. "I have no clue what I'm doing wrong. She doesn't need to be fed. She doesn't need to be changed. She's not running a fever."

"Hand her over to me." Regina held out her hands and Emma placed the squalling infant in her arms. Regina looked down into the scrunched up face of their displeased daughter. She rubbed her back and started softly singing to her. It took just over a minute, but finally Cora stopped crying, staring up at Regina with wet eyes. Regina continued to rock and walk, all the while singing her soft melody to the baby. Finally, Cora was lulled back to sleep. Regina placed her back into the crib.

"She's just as demanding as her namesake."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Her namesake?"

Regina looked over her shoulder at Emma. "Cora was my mother's name."

Emma smiled. "No wonder it seemed so perfect." She walked across to the other side of the chamber where her bed was and laid down upon it. "You are magic." She stared at Regina in genuine wonder.

Regina sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her. "I've just done this before. Henry used to cry all the time. He was a great teacher."

Emma frowned. "I've never really been a mother."

"Before Henry, neither had I. You'll learn. It comes with time and practice."

Emma smiled. "And you'll help me?"

Regina nodded. "Of course."

Emma sat up. She turned Regina's face towards her and leaned in for their first real kiss since before the baby was born.

Regina smiled into the kiss. When they pulled apart, she leaned in and kissed Emma's forehead. Then she stroked her cheek softly. "It would seem, somehow, you've domesticated me."

Emma kissed her softly. "I want to marry you."

Regina pulled away, shocked. "What?"

Emma looked down at her hands in embarrassment. "They do that here, don't they?"

Regina nodded. "Marriage restrictions don't really apply here."

"Don't tell me you're going to make me do the down on one knee bit?"

Regina chuckled but regarded her with a serious gaze. "You do realize this is not going to go over well?"

Emma grinned and, for a moment, she didn't look that small and frail. She looked like the arrogant, stubborn, red leather jacket clad woman who'd returned Henry back to her. Had that really only been a year ago? It seemed a lifetime. She'd known Emma forever it seemed. Maybe she had in some way. She slowly nodded. "Well, if you're sure you can handle the consequences…"

"I'm kind of notorious for being someone who throws caution to the wind." Emma grinned again. "I can handle being hated or any other consequences they throw my way."

"Even the disappointment of your parents?"

That drew Emma up short. She hadn't considered how David and Mary, or rather James and Snow now, would react. Then again, it was hard to think of them as her parents. They were around her age. It was… confusing. Still… she studied Regina's face. Just looking at her made Emma want to smile. She bit her lip, but nodded. "It's not something I want to happen but you're more important than even their approval."

Regina smiled. It still gave her a small modicum of satisfaction that someone, knowing all the pros and cons of both options, would choose her over Snow White. "Then… my answer is yes."


	8. Hurricane Emma

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: sorry this took so long. i have been debating for over a week whether to include the wedding on this chapter or push it off to the next. due to length, it has been pushed off to the next, but fear not, for there will be a fluffy wedding. hoping to have the next update all edited and ready by next weekend. until then, enjoy this fluffiness.

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"Are you ready?" Emma raised an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Can't we do it tomorrow?"

Emma chuckled at the slight whine that laced the older woman's words. "Are you afraid? Of my _mother_?" She smiled in amusement. "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

Regina finally looked at her with a narrowed gaze. "I fear no one. Least of all, Snow White."

Emma knew she shouldn't press the issue, but she was having too much fun teasing the former evildoer. "I think that little girl in the next room has made you a big ol' softie."

Regina's eyes narrowed to slits. "Choose your words carefully, Miss Swan."

"For they may be my last?" Emma rolled her eyes. That's why she didn't see the attack coming. She felt the impact hit her hard in the stomach. It didn't hurt, just knocked the breath out of her chest in one big whoosh and launched her back onto their bed. Emma sat up, her jaw nearly on her lap, as she stared open mouthed at Regina. "I know you did not just use magic on me!"

Regina smirked. "I warned you."

"That's it."

A pillow hit Regina square in the face. Now it was her turn to glare at Emma. She tackled the blonde and they roughhoused on the bed. Finally roughhousing devolved into gentler caresses. Mouths became involved and without either woman realizing, or quite caring for that matter, they forgot all about breaking the news of their engagement to Emma's parents. It could wait.

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"Excuse me?"

Emma wasn't sure her mother's eyebrows could get any higher on her forehead. She had wanted to break the news gently, but as soon as they'd come before the King and Queen, she'd involuntarily blurted. She felt like a little child for the first time as the two royals stared down at her with expressions somewhere between disbelief and disappointment.

"Emma and I love each other very much. We have children together."

Snow's gaze shot sharply to Regina. "You were married once before or have you so easily forgotten! I think we both remember how that marriage ended. There was a child in the equation then too."

Regina internally flinched at the mixture of pain and anger in her old enemy's voice.

"I never loved your father. It was a different time. I was a different person then. Emma is," She glanced at the blonde fondly, "the love of my life."

Emma grinned at Regina.

James cleared his throat. He'd been broody and silent since Emma had disclosed their intentions to wed. "Have you thought this through Emma? It could have very drastic consequences. If truth be told, there already have been several citizens who've voiced their displeasure that Regina was even let out of her cell. No one will take this news well."

Emma stared at her father with a determination he hadn't seen in anyone since the days before the curse. "People will always have their opinions, but I'm not going to let that keep me from my happy ending."

He inclined his head in a gesture of acknowledgement. "Then I will support your choice. If this woman means that much to you, then you'll have your wedding."

Snow's eyes went wide and she glared at her husband.

He shrugged. "Come now, Snow, you know very well how unhappy we were when listening to public opinion and letting it keep us apart. How can you ask our daughter to do the same?"

Snow's jaw worked and she shook her head. "It's not the same and you know it. We were forced apart because your 'father' threatened to kill you if I tried to take you from Abigail."

James sighed. "Not in Storybrooke. There we were afraid of what everyone would say and it kept us apart. But in the end our misery forced us back together. The same will happen here; can't you see that?"

Snow looked between the other three occupants in the room, finally settling on Regina. "If you betray her… if even the _thought_ of hurting her crosses your mind, I will kill you."

Regina nodded. "I'd expect nothing less."

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Emma awoke to darkness. She was alone in bed, which she found unusual but not alarming. It had been nearly two months since the announcement of their engagement went out to the corners of the realm. As predicted, it had not been received well. There had been an uproar, demands for justice. Finally a meeting had been called and the issue had been addressed. After a heartfelt speech of remorse from Regina and one of love from Emma, peace was achieved, albeit begrudgingly.

She sat up, running a hand through her sleep mussed hair. It was then that she noticed the play of light under the door that connected their room to the nursery. She got up slowly, fear clutching at her chest. She padded over to the door, fear for her daughter fueling her against the warnings firing off in her mind. She opened the door slowly and the sight she saw melted her heart. Regina was in the rocking chair next to the crib, their daughter in her arms. Cora was staring, with sparkling eyes, at a group of glowing orbs that were dancing around the room under the conducting swing of Regina's finger. The balls of light cast a dancing glow across everything in the otherwise dark room. Emma leaned in the doorway and just watched the two most important ladies in her life. For her part, Regina was staring down at Cora with a look of unrestricted wonder. When they had made their appeal to the King and Queen she had claimed that Emma was the love of her life, but, looking at the dark woman now, Emma believed Cora was.

Regina caught sight of her then and she smiled sleepily at the blonde.

Emma smiled right back and slowly slunk back out of the room, leaving her girls to their bedtime magic.

It was another fifteen minutes before Regina returned, but Emma had waited up for her and she held her arms open to the brunette. Regina slipped under the blankets and into the waiting embrace with a sigh of contentment.

"You were meant to be a mother." Emma whispered the words softly into the older woman's hair.

Regina smiled against Emma's shoulder, pleased with the compliment.

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"What are you doing in here Henry?" Regina was surprised to find their son curled up on their bed. She had only retired from the preparations because Cora had made it clear that she'd had enough of the festivities for the day. "Everyone else is setting up for the ceremony."

Henry regarded her for a long moment. "Everyone else is trying to set up for the ceremony. Mom's just yelling."

A smile tugged at the corners of Regina's mouth. She couldn't really argue with that. Regina had expected to be the diva in their wedding. She had expected to throw fits when things weren't perfect, to fuss over the color of the flower arrangements and to be the 'bridezilla', and in a small way she was. She did want things to be as perfect as possible. But she was nothing compared to Hurricane Emma. "She just wants everything to be perfect."

Henry gave her a deadpan look. "She's scared the staff so badly that they've nicknamed Grumpy, Cheery."

Cora giggled from her place in Regina's arms as if she understood.

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"We're not going to bed until we get this right. It's by the good graces of the people that this wedding is even possible and there is no way I am going to mess this up. So let's try this again."

Snow sighed. "I walk down the aisle with Cora and Henry." Snow set off, holding the baby in one arm and Henry's hand with the other.

"Then I walk down, with our lovely daughter on my arm." Emma smiled as she looped her arm through that of her father's and they walked down the aisle as they would the next morning.

"And, finally, myself." Regina came up the aisle unaccompanied. She was brutally aware of the absence at her side, as she had been through the whole process. Her mother would have never approved of this marriage let alone the pomp and circumstance of the Princess' wedding, but her father would have loved to be here for this moment. It would have made him deliriously happy to give her away and Regina knew, good man that he was, he would have loved Emma. She met Emma's eyes and several unspoken words flew between them. She knew Emma was reading her pain plain as day. She joined her soon to be wife on the dais and they ran through the rest of the ceremony on fast forward, just a last minute rehearsal of parts. Finally Emma was satisfied enough to let them all retire for the night. Tomorrow, the real fun would begin.


	9. Proud

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: took a little longer than i expected and also i pushed the wedding off again. i have a chunk of it written, i just thought ten chapters sounded better than nine and there's still some tweaks and changes i have to do to the actual ceremony. that being said, i hope you enjoy this update. enjoy and review.

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It was _the_ day. Her wedding day. She had never thought she'd ever do this. It was hardly her style. She was Emma Swan, fiercely independent and heavy believer of feminist ideals. She didn't conform to society's pressures, such as marrying Mr. Right, buying a white picket fence home, and popping out 2.4 perfect children. Okay, so maybe she'd been working on the latter, but that was beside the point. She was the definition of a non-conformist. And yet, here she was, butterflies in her stomach as she stared at the gown laid out ceremoniously on the bed. It was beautiful, she did have to admit. Every inch of her skin tingled with the anticipation of slipping it on. It was made from the finest fabric in the kingdom, of a silk-like quality but even lighter. She would be wearing a crinoline under it. The bodice was embroidered with shimmering white thread, that if she turned just so, caught the light and made her shimmer. It was to be the girliest thing she'd ever worn in her life, but she found she didn't mind. She had decided, after much debate, that she would leave her hair down. Regina had always liked it that way. She touched the dress fondly. Today, she'd be married. And for the first time in her whole life, Emma Swan had no fears about that at all.

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Today was the day she'd marry Emma and Regina couldn't shut down her mind. It was running with a million thoughts. Unlike Emma, she'd been through the pomp and circumstance before. She had married a King after all. If Emma thought the wedding of the Princess was a big deal… all the bells and whistles had been pulled out for her first wedding. There had been an eight course feast, a lavish ceremony with thousands of guests. It seemed as if the entire world had put everything in their lives on pause to come watch her marry a man she didn't love. But, she had to remind herself, this was hardly that. She had never felt anything like what she felt when she looked at Emma Swan. Her heart would speed up, reminding her of its presence, every single time. She was in love with Emma Swan. And today was about telling the whole world that.

She looked down at the dress she was wearing. It hugged her intimately along her curves like a lover, only loosening up slightly below her hips so that she could walk without difficulty. It was beautiful. She had done her hair half up, half down, much as she had the day she'd seduced the Huntsman in her red velvet gown, one of her personal favorites. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror and smiled at the happiness she saw in her own eyes. It had been a long time since she'd seen that sparkle, so long she'd forgotten what it looked like.

She glanced down at the small object in her hand. The plain and simple ring was still her most prized material possession; the one thing she had always believed would be with her forever. "Oh Daniel. A part of me feels like I'm betraying you. But I love her. I didn't think I'd ever be capable of letting someone into back my heart after losing you, but somehow she found a way in. She found a way in and she settled there. She's everything I didn't know I was searching for and I think you'd be proud… for the first time, I'm listening to my heart." She felt a tear slip down her cheek, the last she'd ever cry over a love, one she was now certain hadn't been her true love, that had been lost long ago.

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Henry tried yet again to pull Cora's dress on, but the infant flailed and kicked until he sighed.

"You have to get dressed, Cor. You can't be naked! It's a wedding!"

Cora gurgled happily as if telling him that she most absolutely could be.

"Please Cora?" Henry looked at his little sister and spoke to her as if he were speaking to someone who could understand him. "Mom will kill me if I don't get you dressed."

Cora looked at him with her expressive eyes and he stared back until he felt a tingling in his hands. He looked down and yelped, jumping back as the dress in his hands disappeared and an instant later reappeared, on his baby sister. He stared at her with an open mouth. Had she just used magic? But that was impossible. Neither Emma, nor Graham had been magical, only Regina. His brow furrowed in confusion, but he decided he'd inquire about it later, on a day that could handle it.

He'd seen the former Evil Queen stressing out all morning. It had been bothering her that she couldn't see Emma all day yesterday, with the exception of the last minute rehearsal, or all day today. His grandmother had forced them apart, all that superstitious nonsense about not seeing the bride before the wedding. But he'd seen how stressed the seperation was making Regina, as she had paced around her room in her wedding dress, willing time to move faster under her breath. He'd agreed to dress Cora only to escape the tension in the room.

He glanced down at his baby sister and then a thought occurred to him. "Come on, Cor." He heaved his sister into his arms and she clung to his shoulder with a smile. "Let's go find Grandma."

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Snow walked around the hall, overseeing the last of the arrangements. The ceremony would be held in the same room as theirs had been. It had been tainted after the threat made by the Evil Queen and Snow, James, and Emma had all been reluctant to hold the wedding ceremony in a place with such a bad memory swirling around it. But Regina had been adamant, stating that the only way to erase the bad memory was with a good one, a memory of a different kind of promise. She had promised destruction once, now she would vow to do the opposite. With a little prodding the royals had come to agree with her and it was settled.

The walls were decorated in white and black, this time Emma's idea. A coming together of light and dark, opposites, yet how could one exist without the other? What was black without white, and vice versa? That too, seemed a fitting idea.

She exited the large ballroom and walked down the corridor to the double doors that opened out onto the grounds. Here was a less formal atmosphere. Twinkling lights were strung everywhere, across bushes and trees, that when lit up tonight for the reception would look like a thousand stars. Tables had been set up in the same black and white, an area farther on kept clear for dancing.

She watched a trio of servants carrying the cake over to one of the tables. It was impossibly tall, but so many people were attending, she was still afraid it wouldn't be enough.

She turned back to return to her chambers to get ready, when she saw her grandson coming down the corridor towards her, carrying his sister.

"Henry! The wedding's in an hour and you're not even dressed! Guests will be arriving soon! You're a Prince now; you need to behave like one." Her scolding held no malice.

Henry bit his lip to hold himself back from pointing out that she too was not ready. Instead he just shook his head. "I'll be ready, I promise, but I was hoping you could help me with something first?"

"Of course."

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"This is ridiculous Henry!" Emma let her son lead her by the hand through the corridors, unsure of where they were going.

"Just wait, we're almost there." Henry rolled his eyes, happy that his mom couldn't see him and pulled her down the last stretch to the door. He knocked and it opened, Snow standing on the other side. She ushered them in and closed the door behind them.

Across the room, stood Regina. She was blindfolded, just as Emma was.

Snow stood by the door as Henry dragged Emma towards the brunette. "I know how hard it's been for you to be away from mom these past two days."

Both women thought Henry was talking to them and their breath caught simultaneously.

"As long as you both keep your blindfolds on, you're not breaking any rules." Henry grabbed Regina's hand and brought it to Emma's to replace his own.

"We'll give you two some time alone." Snow ushered Henry out of the room and closed the door softly.

The second the latch clicked shut, Regina pulled Emma against her. "I couldn't sleep last night."

Emma smiled and stood on her tip toes so she could lean in and place a soft kiss on Regina's head. "I missed you too."

They spent the next fifteen minutes in each others arms, neither saying much. There would be plenty of time to say everything they needed to later, right now, they both deemed it important not to waste their time together on words.

Finally, the proverbial clock struck midnight, and Snow returned, urging them apart. "It's time to go. You'll see each other soon." She led a reluctant Emma from the room.

Henry closed the door and walked over to Regina, helping untie the blindfold and tossing it aside.

Regina glanced at her son fondly. "Thank you." She put a hand to his cheek a moment before dropping it, knowing too much affection wouldn't go over well with an eleven year old.

He beamed back up at her. He knew she would never have asked to see Emma; she was much too proud to ever confess her need to have the blonde woman near. But he had also seen the emptiness in her eyes and made him feel proud to have been able to do something for her.

"Mom?" He sat down on a chair and kicked his feet like a fidgety child years younger than himself.

"Hmm?" She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. He was usually defiant with her, bold; it wasn't often she saw him nervous.

"I know I'm not him… but we do have the same name and all… and I…" He wrung his hands, still not meeting her eyes. "I'd like to walk you down the aisle."

Regina felt as if her heart would burst. She'd could count the number of times she'd felt this happy on one hand with fingers to spare. Tears stung her eyes and she threw caution to the wind, raced forward, and pulled Henry into a tight hug. "I'd like that very much."

Henry wrapped his arms around his mother and hugged her back, finding he liked making her happy more than he'd ever liked scheming against her.


	10. Where I Fit

DISCLAIMER:: do not own

A/N:: here you go. SwanQueen fluffy wedding as requested. don't knock on the vows, that's all i ask. a small part of them were taken from actual vows and then i just modified them to fit my purposes. warning in advance, after the wedding there is a five year jump, so prepare for that. surprise ending, prepare for that as well. besides that, enjoy and review.

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This was the moment. Emma stood before the doors. She could hear the music on the other side, the faint sounds of laughter and idle conversation between the guests. In a second they would all grow silent. Their eyes would move to the doors. To her. And she felt…still. There was no nervousness. She was calm, and happy. The only other thought in her mind was Regina. She was kept away until the moment she was to walk down the aisle. Emma had yet to see her in her dress, and it was the only thing that intruded on her calm.

The doors opened and her mother walked forth, carrying the baby. Cora, obviously right at home with all eyes on her, just like her other mom, smiled and giggled, playing the crowd like a fiddle.

_Two can play that game, junior_. Emma thought as the music changed, her cue. James held out his arm to her and she gladly took it, walking slowly into the hall, smiling as gasps rang from every corner. When she was a child she had never really dreamt of being a Princess. Princesses didn't really live in group homes and wear secondhand clothes. They weren't deposited on the side of the highway by some King and Queen. They were regal and well spoken, they had hobbies like croquet and fox-hunting, fancy things like that. Regina, she was the royalty type. Her, however, she was far from it. She was clumsy and awkward and she liked to play pool with strangers in seedy bars. She was street smart and she had a mouth like a sailor. Nowhere in this world did she fit in.

Her father brought her to the altar and with a kiss to her forehead, took his place beside her mother and daughter. And then there she was, Regina, standing at the head of the aisle, on the arm of their son, looking the happiest Emma had ever seen her. And, Emma felt she should amend herself: looking at Regina, she saw exactly where she fit.

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"You ready, mom?" Henry held out his arm to her.

She took it with a smile, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears. She had promised herself she would not cry in front of all these people. "Shall we?"

He grinned. "Let's do this."

They stepped into the hall, and everyone's breath caught, whether from the fear they still harbored towards her or otherwise, she didn't know, nor did she care. There was only one person who had her attention, and that was the Princess. Emma looked more glorious than she could ever have imagined. Her dress was gorgeous enough, hugging her tightly on top and flowing out into a full skirt on bottom. Her hair had been left down, not messed with in the slightest, which is how Regina had always preferred it anyway. It wasn't typical for weddings, but it was so Emma that it made her smile softly. A tiara was perched perfectly atop her golden waves, the only ornament she allowed to confirm her title. There was something in her eyes that almost made Regina lose it. She'd never been looked at that way before by anyone but her children, a look of pure, untainted adoration. Her heart felt so full she was sure it would burst.

Henry led her to the front until she was standing right next to Emma. She bent down and he kissed her cheek before scooting off to James's side.

Regina righted herself and held out her hand to Emma. The blonde seized it without hesitation.

The Blue Fairy cleared her throat. "We are gathered here today in the site of all residents of the Enchanted Forest to unite two souls which once were lost but have now found direction in each other. Good people of our kingdom, stand witness to the testimonials of our dear Princess and her chosen mate as they proclaim their devotion of each other." She turned her sparkling eyes on Emma. "Princess."

Emma hadn't bothered to look away from Regina the whole time. She had always expected, especially with how crazy she'd been while planning the wedding, that she'd be all over the map with her feelings. But she wasn't. She felt… calm.

"Regina." She smiled, briefly pausing her speech. That name had never felt so good rolling off her tongue. "Never in my life have I felt as if there was somewhere I belonged. I've never had a home that felt like it fit. I've spent my whole life searching for this place to call my own. Then, I met you, and I found it. It wasn't something that happened instantly, like I always expected it to be, but when you told me you loved me for the first time, I knew I'd found home." She squeezed the hands she was holding. "I've seen your heart; I see it every time you hold our daughter or you look at our son. I see your heart and…" For the first time she felt tears starting to sting the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, not until she'd finished her vows at least. "And I know that's where I fit, that's where I belong. I found my place."

The Blue Fairy turned her sparkling eyes and smiling face on Regina, her smile only losing a couple watts in the process. "Lady Regina."

"Emma. I've made so many mistakes in my life, more than I think I'll ever be able to make up for. I've stolen hearts, I've done my best to ruin people's happiness. There are many things I've gotten wrong. But you, Princess, you were one thing I got right. You broke through every barrier I put up around myself. You were stubborn, and persistent, and you got past the walls. You look at me and I feel invincible, like, in your eyes, I can do and be so much more than I ever dreamed. You look at me and all the _evil_ just melts away. You see the good and I've never had that before. You've given me all the things I hold most precious. I'd have nothing if it weren't for you. I love you so much and for the first time, I can't wait for the rest of my life. Instead of the past, I'm looking towards my future…," Regina smiled, feeling her own eyes fighting back the tears as a solitary one loosened itself from the corner of Emma's eye and trailed down the Princess' cheek. She broke hold of her hand to reach up and gently wipe it away with her thumb. "Because I know that's where you'll be."

The Blue Fairy looked between the two women whose eyes had only been for each other from the moment they entered the room, her smile more genuine than it'd been the entire ceremony. "Friends! You have heard the proclamations of these two women, spoken before all, so that you may bear witness. Is there anyone among you who feels that these vows have been untrue? Speak now or let this union be binding."

Emma tensed for the first time and she felt the stiffness in Regina's arms as well. This was the true test. Their parts had been easy. The floor was now open to public opinion and they were both aware that Regina's approval rating still wasn't as high as it could be.

After several moments of drawn out silence, a small eternity, or so it seemed to Emma, no one spoke up.

The Blue Fairy beamed. "Princess Emma, your ring?"

Emma smiled and took the ring offered to her by Henry, who had been entrusted with both the brides' rings. She slid the ring onto Regina's finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my promise made here today."

The Blue Fairy looked to the brunette.

Regina also retrieved her ring from their son. She slipped it onto Emma's finger with shaking hands. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my promise made here today."

The Blue Fairy looked out to the audience. "You have all just bore witness to the vows of Princess Emma and Lady Regina made to each other here. May their union be blessed, always, and may the light favor them, now and forever." She sprinkled a little bit of fairy dust over the newlyweds.

A cheer went up through the crowd and Emma looked to the Blue Fairy. "Can I kiss her now?"

The Blue Fairy nodded, her curls bouncing.

Emma stepped up to Regina, pressing their bodies together, her mouth hovering an inch from the brunette's for the briefest moment before she closed the distance and they shared their first kiss as a married couple.

As guests started moving out towards the reception area at James's behest, Regina entwined her hand with Emma's and led the way over to Snow. She held her arm out for their daughter and Snow handed her over. Cora giggled happily and buried her face in the nape of the brunette's neck.

Henry grabbed Emma's free hand and they all walked out hand in hand towards their waiting audience.

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Emma snuck up behind Regina where she sat and leaned down near her ear. "You look like you have something on your mind." She wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck. "Care to share with the class?"

Regina smiled. "I was just thinking… we've come a long way. If you would have asked me the night you drove into Storybrooke, where we'd be in eighteen months, I would not have said here. I would have laughed in your face that you were even entertaining the idea that I'd allow you to hang around that long. Yet, somehow, here we are." She turned her head slightly until their faces were mere inches apart. "I still don't know why you chose me."

Emma came around before the brunette and sat down in her lap. "When I first felt Cora kick, all I could think about was getting to you. I wanted you to be the first one to know. Don't you remember how I just burst into your office? I ran the whole way from the station." She bit her lip and smiled at the memory. "That was the first time I realized that I felt a whole lot more than I originally anticipated."

"That was the first time you loved me you mean?"

Emma smiled, the smallest hint of a blush colouring her neck. "That may have been when I realized I was _in love_ with you, but… I have a feeling I've loved you my entire life."

Regina was about to respond when Henry skipped up. He held out a hand to the blonde. "May I have this dance?"

Emma grinned and placed her hand in his. "Sure kid." She glanced over her shoulder and flashed Regina a huge grin as Henry pulled her off towards the dance floor.

Regina watched Emma and Henry as they managed to awkwardly dance. The height difference was a problem, but Emma was good at making it look as if it were the most natural thing ever.

"Was she this happy in your other world?" Snow sat down in the chair next to Regina.

Regina glanced at Snow before her eyes shifted back to Emma and their son. "There were times when she was unhappy. It was a… complicated place. Happiness wasn't so… defined. People could be very happy one moment and very sad the next."

"Do you think she misses it?"

Regina nodded. "There are times where she does. She grew up there. This is all new for her. Four months here can't erase the twenty nine years there."

"Do _you_ miss it?"

Regina chuckled dryly. "No. The only good thing I ever got from that world was my family and now, they're here."

Snow nodded.

Regina sighed, not wanting the silence to stretch on. Snow was trying, that much was obvious. Maybe it was about time she try too. "If I could go back, and repeat it all over again, I can't say I would do all things differently." She nodded towards her wife and son. "I have everything that I do because of those awful things. So I wouldn't have done many things differently. But I'd like to think, maybe, I might not blame you so much the second time around."

A small smile lifted the corner of Snow White's mouth. "Yeah you would." She looked at Regina. "But, oddly enough, I'm okay with knowing that. I still have my life, and my heart, and any unhappiness I may have suffered at your hands bought that look on her face." Snow White beamed at the look of pure joy on Emma's face. "And that's a price I'd pay over and over again."

Regina saw James, swaying on the dance floor, apparently by himself, until he angled towards her and she saw his dance partner was her own daughter. In that moment, she understood exactly what Snow meant. She'd suffer unspeakable things if it meant one day Cora could look as happy as Emma did. And that was something she knew her own mother never would have done for her. But she had always known, good or evil, she was destined to be greater than her mother.

"She has Emma's eyes, but I see the pieces of you in her too." Snow White followed Regina's gaze to the infant cradled in her husband's arms. "Emma told me her father was the Huntsman you hired to deliver my heart to you, but the only thing I don't see is pieces of him."

Regina frowned. "You wouldn't."

"Why would you say that?" Snow raised a brow.

"Because he's not the father."

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"May I cut in?" Regina smiled down at Henry.

He looked at Emma for a moment before nodding. He glanced over at where James was still dancing Cora around. "There's another Princess that needs my attention anyway. No offense mom."

Emma chuckled. "None taken."

Henry rushed off towards his grandfather and sister. Emma turned to Regina. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck and Regina's arms slid their way around her waist. They pressed together closer than the song really deemed necessary, but they were the newlyweds, and on this particular night, they could get away with it.

"How does it feel?"

Regina raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "How does what feel?"

"Being married, again. There's been a couple hours for it to sink in."

"Ah." Regina nodded. She kissed Emma's cheek softly. "It feels like it should have the first time."

Emma beamed. "You married into royalty, you know." She glanced up in the direction of her own tiara, though she couldn't see it, she felt it.

Regina laughed softly. "I seem to be good at that."

Emma smiled against Regina's shoulder. She was amazed at how calm she was at the mention of King Leopold. More than anything, she had been apprehensive of that while planning the wedding. It probably contributed most to her anxiety. She had wanted it to be grand like Regina's first wedding, but not reminiscent of it. She knew Regina hadn't been in love with Leopold, but it didn't change that Emma had been feeling the pressure of making this marriage better than Regina's first. But, oddly enough, she felt none of that now.

"How are you feeling, now that you're a married woman?" Regina nuzzled her neck.

Emma smiled. She gazed up into Regina's eyes, her head still resting on the brunette's shoulder. "I feel… still. Complete and utter stillness."

Regina grinned.

Emma's brow furrowed and she lifted her head so she could stare at Regina head on. "What is it?"

"It's nothing."

"Gina!"

Regina's grin faltered. "It's our daughter."

Emma frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Cora, she has you under a spell."

Emma stilled their dancing. "But that's impossible. Neither Graham, nor I are magical. I thought it was inherited, or had to be bestowed by…" Emma pulled out of Regina's embrace. She bit her lip. Her brain was firing off warnings and telling her she should be feeling angry or hurt or upset, but she couldn't feel them. She glanced over at Cora, contentedly being swayed in her brother's embrace.

Emma reached out and grabbed Regina's hand. "We're going for a walk." She didn't wait for an answer, just pulled Regina through the crowd. Everyone they passed just thought the young lovers were trying to escape the crowd to be alone together and they let them go with knowing smiles.

Emma led them away from the dance floor and down the sloping path toward the shoreline. Once the music and sounds of the crowd where far behind them, a distant sparkle back up the hill, Emma dropped Regina's hand.

"Em…"

"Don't Em me!" Now that there was space between her and her daughter, she could feel the bonds of the spell weakening. She pressed her anger against those bonds and felt them give. Then she immediately wished they were still there. It was her wedding day and she could feel pain starting to devour all the good she'd been feeling. "How does she know magic? Is this Graham's doing? Did he make a deal with Mr. Gold?"

Regina shook her head. "No… Graham… he's not the father."

Emma laughed hollowly. "I think I know who has been between my legs and who hasn't! As much as you may have liked to think of me as some sort of tramp before we got together, I was not some whore with a sign that says _permanently open for business_ over her crotch! Graham is the only person it can be! I didn't sleep with anyone in Storybrooke but him! Well, and you, but that was after I was pregnant and besides, it's impossible."

Regina got very quiet.

Emma's face fell. "Regina?"

"It was a spell. It's complicated. Graham was just the vessel. It was my essence, he was just the means to deposit it."

"You got me pregnant? Don't you think it is proper etiquette to ask a woman before you take possession of her uterus for nine months?" Emma couldn't decide whether she was more angry or more upset.

"He was supposed to sleep with me! I wanted a child of my own, one that was all me! The spell had an incubation period of a couple days… How was I to know you'd get to him before I did?"

Emma felt her retort die on her lips. She felt it in the pit of her stomach and it traveled up, gaining momentum until the laugh exploded from between her lips.

Regina looked taken aback.

"I'm sorry." Emma managed in between fits of laughter. "It's just… for all extensive purposes, you are the _father_ of our child! _You_!"

"I fail to see what is so amusing about this Miss Swan." Regina crossed her arms, looking every bit her old mayoral self.

Emma stepped up to Regina, grabbing her arms and prying them apart. She stepped into the circle of the brunette's arms and wrapped them around herself. "You don't find it just a little bit funny?"

Regina shook her head. "You're disappointed."

Emma shook her head. She leaned forward and placed several kisses along Regina's jaw line. "I wish you would have told me. I don't want you to keep stuff from me. But as for Cora's, albeit slightly confusing, parentage, I couldn't be happier."

"Really?" Regina tried to fight back the smile, afraid it wasn't warranted.

Emma nodded. "And it's good to know that if I want another one… you owe me rent payments to my womb for nine months."

Regina let her smile creep in this time. "You'd want another one?"

Emma shrugged. "As long as I'm not the one carrying it this time, I wouldn't object. But," she looked at Regina sternly, "they're will be no 'vessel'. We'll work on that spell for as long as we need to until it's just you and me and our Y-less chromosomes."

Regina nodded. "We'll work on it; we've got time."

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-**5 Years Later**-

"Mommy! Mommy!" Little Cora chased her mother down the corridor, the skirts of her dressing gown flapping around her as she tried to catch up.

Regina turned and smiled as she saw the little girl running after her. Her dark hair, an mirror of Regina's own, fell in loose waves around her small face. Emma's eyes stared up at her from Cora's face. The five year old held up her arms and Regina picked her up, hefting her easily up into her arms.

Their bond had only grown in the past five years as Regina taught her to hone her magical abilities. Henry had grown to be Emma's constant companion as she spent her days teaching him to sword fight, with the King assisting of course. But not Cora. Even through her pregnancy and the birth of their third child, a daughter, with soft blonde hair and stormy brown eyes, every bit as fair as her older sister, that Emma had named Brooke, after the placed they'd met. Cora had been Regina's shadow. And the former Evil Queen would be lying if she claimed that she didn't love every single moment of it.

"Take me with you?" The little girl laid her head on Regina's shoulder and gave her the puppy dog eyes. It was the woman's biggest weakness. How could she resist that pout, especially with those eyes?

Regina smiled at the little girl, carrying her down the corridor towards her bed chamber. She was going to visit Maleficent at the Forbidden Fortress. It was only for one night but it was the first time her daughter had been without her and Emma both overnight. "Next time, darling." She kissed the top of the little girl's dark hair.

As she placed her back into her bed, Emma appeared in the doorway, carrying four year old Brooke.

"Hey, someone tried a stowaway attempt."

Regina grinned. "Seems we had two of those."

Emma carried their younger daughter in and set her down on the bed with her older sister. "How about if you girls keep each other company, just for tonight while we're away? That way, it won't seem so lonely and before you know it, we'll be back and we can all go riding out to visit Uncle Grumpy and his brothers."

Brooke's face lit up. Little spitfire that she was, she loved terrorizing Grumpy. And though the cantankerous dwarf would never admit it, his face always lit up whenever they brought the little blonde around.

Cora, the much more dignified of the two, only nodded solemnly.

Someone clearing their throat behind them caused all four ladies to look over to the door, where sixteen year old Henry was looking at them expectantly. "You better get on or it'll be too late."

Emma looked towards her wife. "Shall we My Queen?"

Regina smiled. She leaned down and gave each of their daughter's a kiss on the forehead. "Good night, sweet ones. Cora, I want you to look out for your sister for us, okay? Promise me."

"I promise Mommy."

Regina beamed down at her daughter before taking the hand Emma held out to her and letting the blonde lead her from the room.

The second the door closed, Regina turned to Henry. "I expect you to look after them Henry. Protect them."

"Regina, honey, we're going to be gone one night. I think you have more separation anxiety than they do at this point. Sweetheart, they'll all be fine. You know there's wards all over this place. No one can get in except family. They're safe."

Regina looked about to argue but finally nodded. But when Emma turned to lead the way down the corridor, Regina shot Henry a meaningful look.

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Cora eyes shot open in the darkness of the room. She sensed it, though she saw nothing. Power. There was power here. She looked at Brooke. The smaller girl was wide awake beside her, looking slightly frightened. She had sensed it too. The air around them seemed to be crackling with it.

Fear gripped her heart, but she sat up anyway. She had to protect her sister. She had promised, and a proper lady always keeps her promises.

"Very good, dear, you have courage. That is _useful_."

A whoosh of sound filled the air and several orbs of light seemed to free float in the space above the bed.

Cora made out an older woman, her dress black and bright red. She was smiling at them with blood red lips. There was something familiar about her though Cora could never remember having seen her before.

"Who are you?" It was Brooke who spoke and Cora glared at her. They weren't supposed to speak to strangers.

"Why, dear, I'm your grandmother."

Brooke shook her head, her blonde locks swinging back and forth. "Nuh-uh. Grandma Snow is."

The woman frowned. "Yes, well, she's Emma's mother. But I'm Regina's mother."

Cora narrowed her eyes.

The woman turned her gaze to the older daughter. "My name is Cora too. Did your mother ever tell you that?"

Cora shook her head, her eyes still narrowed, though her stare wasn't as intense. Cora had picked up Emma's talent for detecting lies. So far, this woman hadn't lied to them. Maybe she could be trusted. After all, she knew there was magic around the palace that prevented anyone magic that wasn't family from entering.

"I want to take you girls somewhere with me. I know your mommies are always leaving you behind. But I know better. You're big girls and I think it's about time you had an adventure."

Brooke was getting out of the bed before Cora could reach out and grab her.

The older Cora smiled and held out a hand. "That's right sweetheart."

Brooke took the woman's hand.

Cora knew she had no choice now. She had promised to protect her sister. She slid out of bed slowly and took the woman's other extended hand. "Where are we going?"

The older Cora smiled. "To a place where nothing is as it seems. A place called _Wonderland_."

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A/N:: so, as you can see, i left it way open there. need everyone's opinion on whether i should develop a sequel or just continue writing it on this one, do maybe five more chapters or so, or just let it end there. opinions? thoughts? all are appreciated. let me know.


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